Jeff Dugdale begins his 14th year in charge of the Queens University of Charlotte men's and women's swimming programs in 2021-22. His accolades include:
14 Team NCAA Championships
124 Individual NCAA Championships
735 All-American Swims (351 Men; 384 Women) +29 +21
142 Scholar-Americans
6 NCAA DII Honda Award Athlete of the Year Finalist
3 Elite 90 Award Winner
16 BMC Championships
268 Individual BMC Championships
12 NCAA Swimmer of the Meets
11 BMC Coach of the Year Awards
19 BMC Swimmer of the Year Awards
Additionally, Queens swimming has had four athletes compete across three Olympic games (London, Rio, Tokyo) and one compete in two Paralympic Games (Rio, Tokyo).
2021-22
The Queens men's and women's swimming programs emerged victorious at the NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships securing their seventh straight title each. At the Championships, Queens posted a combined 84 All-American swims, including 50 All-Americans and 34 Honorable Mention All-Americans. Coach Dugdale also swept the Men's and Women's CSCAA Coach of the Year honors for the third time in his storied career. Coach Dugdale and the Royals produced a pair of CSCAA Swimmers of the Year, including Danielle Melilli who was awarded the praise for the second straight year. On the men's side, Alex Kunert was named the Men's Swimmer of the Year.
Queens also swept the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships for the eighth straight year. Alex Kunert and Danielle Melilli were named BMC Male and Female Swimmer of the Year.
In the classroom, both programs were named CSCAA Scholar All-America. Prior to the Championships, Jan Delkeskamp and Kayla Tennant were awarded the Elite 90 award, which is given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA competing at the Championships. The honor is just the third and fourth time a Royal has received the honor, and Delkeskamp becomes the first male athlete at Queens to be given the praise.
2020-21
The Queens men's and women's swimming teams each secured their sixth straight NCAA Division II Swimming Championship following the cancellation of the 2020 Championships due to COVID-19. At the meet, Queens tallied a combined 84 All-American swims, including 61 All-Americans and 23 Honorable Mention All-Americans. Additionally, Dugdale swept the Men's and Women's CSCAA Team Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career, while CSCAA Female Swimmer of the Year honors went to sophomore Danielle Melilli.
The Royals also swept the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships for the seventh consecutive year as Alex Kunert and Melilli were named BMC Male and Female Swimmer of the Year. Dugdale was also named BMC Men’s and Women’s Coach of the Year.
Academically, both teams were named CSCAA Scholar All-America teams while 21 individuals were named CSCAA Scholar All-Americans. In addition, Jan Delkeskamp was named the Pamela Davies Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Queens also had representation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games as Marius Kush (Germany) and Felix Duchampt (Romania) qualified for swimming and triathlon, respectively. Additionally, Hanna Aspden qualified for the Tokyo Paralympic Games making it her second time competing in the global event.
2019-20
During the 2019-20 season, Queens was poised to win yet another National Championship on both the men's and women's sides before the Championships were cut short due to COVID-19. The Royals collected their sixth consecutive men's and women's Bluegrass Mountain Championship titles while 18 women combined for 60 all-america honors while the men saw 12 athletes collect a combined 41 all-america awards.
For the third straight season and fifth time overall, Dugdale was named the BMC Women's Head Coach of the Year after leading Polina Lapshina to her second straight BMC Female Swimmer of the Year honor. Additionally, Alex Kunert took the BMC Men's Swimmer of the Year title for Queens.
2018-19
Queens University of Charlotte continued its historic run of national dominance, winning both the men's and women's NCAA Division II National Championships for the fifth straight year.
Dugdale was honored for the second straight season as the CSCAA Women's Swimming Coach of the Year, bringing the total to six such honors. Additionally, he was both the men's and women's Bluegrass Mountain Conference Coach of the Year.
Senior Marius Kusch was selected as the CSCAA Male Swimmer of the Meet for the third straight year after winning a total of seven event championships, including four individual events and three relay races. Kusch was also a part of four NCAA record swims, setting the mark in the 100-Yard Backstroke (44.09), 100-Yard Butterfly (44.32), 100-Yard Freestyle (41.73), and swimming the first leg of the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (2:49.98).
Junior Polina Lapshina was named the CSCAA Female Swimmer of the Meet, the first such award for a Queens swimmer since Patricia Ortega won the award in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. The Ekaterinburg, Russia native won four individual events and was a member of three relay wins.
Lapshina was a part of five NCAA record swims, setting benchmarks in the 100-Yard Backstroke (52.07), 100-Yard Butterfly (52.16) and 100-Yard Freestyle (48.16), while also swimming the first leg in both the 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (3:18.04) and the 400-Yard Medley Relay (3:35.70).
In total, the Royals collected 23 event crowns and set 11 NCAA Division II records during the four-day meet. The women's team now holds a total of 14 NCAA Division II records, and the men hold 14 of the 19 NCAA Division II top marks.
Queens also tallied 83 All-American swims, including 60 All-Americans and 23 Honorable Mention All-Americans to set a new program benchmark.
Kusch, Alex Kunert, Bobbie Gichard, and Erico Cuna each competed internationally for their home countries at the 2019 FINA World Championships. Hannah Aspden and Carson Sanocki also appeared on the inernational stage, competing for Team USA at the Parapan American Games Lima 2019.
The Royals also won the men's and women's BMC titles for a fifth consecutive year as both Kusch and Polina won their respective Swimmer of the Year awards from the conference.
2017-18
For the fourth consecutive season, the Queens University of Charlotte men's and women's swimming teams were crown NCAA Division II Champions.
After the conclusion of the NCAA Championships, Dugdale was honored with his fourth Coach of the Year award as the CSCAA selected him as the recipient of the Women's Swimming Coach of the Year. The award is the fifth national coaching award for Dugdale who was named both the men's and women's coach of the year in 2014-15 and the men's coach of the year following the 2016-17 season.
Junior Marius Kusch also earned national accolades as he was selected as the NCAA Male Swimmer of the Year for the second straight season. The Kassel, Germany native won a total of seven event championships, including four individual events and three relay races. Kusch was also a part of two NCAA record swims, setting the mark in the 200-Yard I.M. (1:41.61) and swimming the third leg of the 200-Yard Medley Relay (1:24.83)
In total, the Royals collected 17 event crowns and set seven NCAA Division II records during the four-day meet. The women's team now holds a total of 10 NCAA Division II records, while the men hold 13 of the 19 NCAA Division II top marks.
Of the 10 total records for the women, three marks were reached during the NCAAs and a total of four top times were set during the 2017-18 season as senior McKenzie Stevens set a record with her swim in the 200-Yard Butterfly at the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships, only to break her own record in the NCAA Championships. For the men, Queens registered four NCAA record swims during the meet.
Queens also tallied 73 All-American swims, including 51 All-Americans and 22 Honorable Mention All-Americans to set a new program benchmark.
The Royals were also crowned Bluegrass Mountain Conference Champions for the fourth year in a row, where Dugdale was named as both the men's and women's BMC Coach of the Year after the meet, his third such award from the conference.
2016-17
The 2016-17 season marks yet another year of success for the Queens swimming programs as both the men and women became three-time NCAA Division ll Swimming Champions. This year the men broke five NCAA records at the championship meet and the women won their first Medley Relay NCAA Championship. Marius Kusch was named NCAA Swimmer of the Year and Dugdale was awarded NCAA Coach of the Year.
Another standout at the championships was Hannah Peiffer. She became the first female to win a different event each year at the championships. Her freshman year was the 100 Butterfly, sophomore year was the 200 Butterfly, junior year was the 100 Backstroke, and this year was the 200 Backstroke. She also broke the NCAA records in these events her freshman, sophomore, and senior years.
Both the Royals men’s and women’s teams were Bluegrass Mountain Conference Champions for the third year running and had multiple students honored with various awards. Dugdale was again named BMC Coach of the Year and Kusch was named BMC Swimmer of the Year.
Outside of the pool, both the men’s and women’s team continue to excel. This year both teams were named Scholar All-American Teams and Dion Dreesen and McKensie Stevens were both named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Teams. Additionally, Dreesen and Peiffer were both honored as Queens Best Male and Female Senior Student-Athletes of the Year.
In addition, Queens had several Royals make appearances at the Short Course World Championships in Windsor, Canada. Kusch came in eighth place in the 100-meter freestyle, Dreesens competed in the 800 freestyle relay, and Dasha Talianov competed in both the 100-meter and 200-meter breastroke.
2015-16
The 2015-16 season was yet another banner year for the Queens swimming programs as the men and women were back-to-back NCAA Division II Swimming Champions. Queens’ men broke three NCAA records at the meet, while the women broke four. Also highlighting the national championship meet were NCAA Swimmers of the Meet Patri Castro Ortega and Dion Dreesens. Ortega was also a Honda Award and Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Award winner and a NCAA Athlete of the Year Nominee.
The Royals also repeated as Bluegrass Mountain Conference Champions on the men’s and women’s side with Castro Ortega and Dreesens winning BMC Swimmer of the Year honors. Additionally, Dugdale and his staff were named BMC Coaches of the Year. Seven conference records were shattered at the meet along with seven national records.
With it being an Olympic year, many Royals kept busy following the season with hopes of attending the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Nic Erikson, Nick Arakelian and Caroline Arakelian all made the USA Olympic Trials, while Hector Tricas (Spain), Marias Kusch (Germany), Paul Pujlet (France), Sude Ozgen (Turkey), Dreesens (Netherlands) and Castro Ortega (Spain) all competed in their home country’s trials. Ortega qualified to represent Spain in the 200 free, 4x100 relay and 4x200 relay, while Dreesens qualified to represent the Netherlands in the 200 free and the 4x200 relay. In addition, former Queens swimmer Matthew Josa made it to the finals of the 100 meter fly at the USA Olympic Trials gaining valuable experience and positioning himself nicely for a run at the 2020 games.
Out of the pool, Queens’ swimming programs excelled in the classroom as well with the women earning the department’s highest GPA award. Twelve women and seven men were named academic all-Americans capping 12 consecutive semesters that Royals have earned the recognition. Additionally, Ben Taylor and Caroline Arakelian were named Queens Best Male and Female Senior Student-Athletes of the Year.
Dugdale had a successful year with SwimMAC TeamElite as well as their Director of High Performance. Assisting 2016 Team USA Women’s Olympic Coach David Marsh in all aspects of his TeamElite program, Dugdale helped place six swimmers (Katie Meili, Kathleen Baker, Anthony Ervin, Jimmy Feigen and Ryan Locte) on the USA Olympic Team. The group totaled six gold, one silver and one bronze medals at the games. Following the games, Dugdale was named one of USA Swimming’s National Team Coaches.
2014-15
In a fruitful year for Coach Dugdale and the Queens swimming program, Queens welcomed home two NCAA National Championship trophies marking the first NCAA championship for both the school and the city of Charlotte. Nationals brought a string of accolades to the program as Queens swept the awards with Coach Dugdale claiming both the men’s and the women’s NCAA Division II Coach of the Meet award in addition to the teams landing the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division II Swimmer of the Meet awards. Under Dugdale’s leadership, six female and six male student athletes claimed a NCAA title in 17 different events, 12 of which would qualify for national records.
The 2014-15 team, the month prior, made history in claiming the Bluegrass Mountain Conference for the first time since the programs development. Queens would secure the Men’s and Women’s swimmer of the year awards as Coach Dugdale took coach of the year for both sides. The team finished the year with a total of 25 new school records and 15 new NCAA records. Both programs would reach academic all-America with the women holding a GPA of 3.62 and the men holding a GPA of 3.13. The men’s and women’s teams would also have an athlete named Queens Student-Athlete of the Year.
2013-14
Throughout the 2013-2014 season, the Royals men and women ranked second in the nation based on schedule strength and performance. Both teams once again claimed mid-season academic all-America status continuing the streak. The programs exceled in the conference meet as the men finished the year grabbing second at the conference meet as the women’s team made a jump from third to second. Matthew Josa was named swimmer of the meet and Coach Dugdale accepted the Bob Busby Award for Men's Coach of the Year in the BMC. The men swept all relays and the women won two for the first time in Royals history. Twenty two student-athletes qualified for the NCAA Championships in Geneva, Ohio at the Spire Institute.
The NCAA Championships proved to be exciting as the Royals finished third in the women and fourth in the men. Kristin Diemer made the first statement by winning the Elite 89 for the highest GPA at the meet another first for the University. She also became the teams second CoSIDA All American and All District. Matthew Josa made a statement by winning three individual events, was a member of two winning relays, and set four national records on his way to earning NCAA DII Swimmer of the Meet and NCAA (All Divisions) Breakout Swimmer of the Year. The Royals would go on to claim five records on the national stage. The 2013-2014 season concluded with nine national champions, eight national records, 19 school records, 15 academic scholar all-Americas, and two academic all-America programs.
The Dugdale led program leveraged the momentum from the 2012 Olympic year to accomplishing 26 new school records between the men and women, 1st CoSIDA First Team All-America at large swimmer and All-America District swimmer, first men’s and women’s NCAA champions for the school, and 59 all-America honors including those who qualified for honorable mentions. The teams also excelled in conference competition taking their first Bluegrass Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Meet for both programs and the school’s first Bluegrass Mountain Swimmer of the Year again claiming the award on both sides. Both programs would finish in the top ten at the NCAA championships.
2011-12
In his second season at the helm of the Royals, Dugdale saw a great deal of success. There were 42 school record swims, six conference records, 54 all-conference swims, 15 all-America swims and 25 all-America honorable mention swims. In addition, John Long was named the Bluegrass Mountain Conference Co-Swimmer of the Year. Long, along with Joe Skuba and Nic Eriksson, qualified for the 2012 Olympic Trials. To cap off the season, Dugdale was voted by his peers to serve as President of the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.
Background
A native of Kenosha, Wis., Dugdale joined the Royals in the summer of 2010 from the SwimMAC Carolina, where he assists Head Coach David Marsh in all aspects of running Team Elite whose members include Olympian Cullen Jones and record holders Nick Brunelli, Nick Thoman and Josh Schneider.
In addition to working at Queens, the summer of 2012 Dugdale started as the Director of High Performance for SwimMAC Team Elite. He assisted in placing five athletes on the U.S. Olympic Team that returned to Charlotte with three gold medals and three silver.
Prior to joining SwimMAC Carolina, Dugdale was an assistant coach at Duke University, where he helped lead recruiting and leadership development. While at Duke, Dugdale had a hand in seeing both the men and women break all but three school records while moving up the ACC and NCAA ranks. In 2008, he spearheaded the merger of two club programs, Tar Heel Aquatic Team and Blue Devil Aquatic into Duke Aquatics, currently a Silver Medal program.
Dugdale was a member of the men’s swim team at Auburn University becoming a three year letter-winner, 1989-1991, before getting his start in collegiate coaching at his alma mater in 1992. Like many of the Queens swimmers have done in this first year, Dugdale helped to transition the Tigers’ program into the one it is today with countless NCAA and SEC Championships.
As a junior, Dugdale was tapped as Marsh’s first recruiting coordinator and helped Marsh recruit the university’s first SEC and NCAA Championship Team. He assisted in coaching 218 All-American honorees, 16 Academic All-Americans, and one Olympian, Yoav Bruck of Israel.
Dugdale earned a bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance at Auburn in 1995. Dugdale has two children, Sydney and Colby.
Here are quotes about Coach Dugdale:
“Jeff is not only an exceptional on-deck coach, but a dynamic individual with a wealth of knowledge in how to develop and grow a program to an elite level,” said Dan Colella, head men’s and women’s coach at Duke. “He is a great recruiter of not only potential student athletes, but supporters for the program. He knows how to inspire and bring out the best in everyone, swimmers, alumni, and staff. We miss having him with us here at Duke, but Queens is fortunate to have one of the best as a member of their staff.”
David Marsh has worked with Dugdale for more than 20 years, dating back to the time when both were at Auburn University together. “His enthusiasm and passion coupled with his desire to make a positive impact in the sport of swimming make him a tremendous leader.”
